A1 Idiom Neutro 1 min de leitura

気を揉む

ki wo momu

To worry

Pratique

Phrase in 30 Seconds

Use {気|き}を{揉|も}む when you are feeling anxious or restless about a situation that is out of your control.

  • Means: To feel anxious, fret, or be impatient about an uncertain outcome.
  • Used in: Waiting for exam results, worrying about a friend, or anticipating bad news.
  • Don't confuse: It is not used for physical pain; it is strictly for mental anxiety.
Restless hands + Worried face = {気|き}を{揉|も}む

Explicação no seu nível:

This phrase means to feel worried or nervous. You use it when you are waiting for something and you cannot stay calm.
When you are anxious about an uncertain future or waiting for news, you can say you are {気|き}を{揉|も}んでいる. It describes the feeling of restlessness that comes with waiting.
The idiom {気|き}を{揉|も}む is used to express a state of fretful anxiety. It is particularly common when the outcome of a situation is beyond your control, leading to a sense of impatience or unease. It is a very natural way to describe the psychological tension of waiting.
Functioning as a metaphorical expression for internal distress, {気|き}を{揉|も}む encapsulates the experience of being mentally preoccupied with a potential negative outcome. It is frequently employed in both professional and personal contexts to signal that one is actively concerned about a situation's development.
Etymologically rooted in the physical sensation of 'kneading' one's spirit, {気|き}を{揉|も}む serves as a sophisticated idiom for acute anxiety. It denotes a state of restless anticipation where the subject is unable to achieve emotional equilibrium due to external uncertainties. Its usage is nuanced, often implying a degree of empathy or shared concern in social settings.
The idiomatic construction {気|き}を{揉|も}む represents a profound intersection of somatic experience and emotional cognition in the Japanese language. By conceptualizing anxiety as a tactile process—the 'kneading' of the 'ki'—it provides a culturally specific framework for articulating the cognitive dissonance of waiting. It is a hallmark of near-native proficiency to deploy this idiom to convey not just worry, but the specific, restless agitation associated with temporal uncertainty.

Significado

To be anxious or concerned about something; to fret.

🌍

Contexto cultural

The concept of 'ki' is central to Japanese psychology. It is believed that your emotional state directly impacts your physical health.

💡

Focus on the feeling

When you use this, try to imagine the feeling of tension in your chest. It helps with the emotional delivery.

💡

Focus on the feeling

When you use this, try to imagine the feeling of tension in your chest. It helps with the emotional delivery.

Teste-se

Fill in the blank with the correct form of the idiom.

テストの{結果|けっか}を{待|ま}つ{間|あいだ}、ずっと＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿。

✓ Correto! ✗ Quase. Resposta certa: {気|き}を{揉|も}んだ

The context is past tense (waiting for the results).

🎉 Pontuação: /1

Recursos visuais

Banco de exercicios

2 exercicios
Escolha a resposta certa Fill Blank

✓ Correto! ✗ Quase. Resposta certa:
Fill in the blank with the correct form of the idiom. Fill Blank A2

テストの{結果|けっか}を{待|ま}つ{間|あいだ}、ずっと＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿。

✓ Correto! ✗ Quase. Resposta certa: {気|き}を{揉|も}んだ

The context is past tense (waiting for the results).

🎉 Pontuação: /2

Perguntas frequentes

1 perguntas

Yes, it's very common to use with friends.

Frases relacionadas

🔗

{気|き}を{病|や}む

similar

To become sick from worry

Onde usar

📝

Waiting for exam results

A: {合格|ごうかく}したかな？

B: {結果|けっか}を{待|ま}つ{間|あいだ}、{気|き}を{揉|も}むよね。

neutral

Memorize

Mnemônico

Imagine a person kneading dough, but the dough is their own brain! They are so worried they are 'kneading' their thoughts.

Associação visual

A person pacing back and forth in a waiting room, hands wringing together.

Story

Ken is waiting for his medical results. He paces the floor. His hands are wringing together. He is {気|き}を{揉|も}んでいる. He can't sit still.

In Other Languages

Similar to 'fretting' in English or 'se ronger les sangs' (gnawing one's blood) in French.

Word Web

{心配|しんぱい}{不安|ふあん}{焦|あせ}る{気|き}{揉|も}む{緊張|きんちょう}

Desafio

Spend 5 minutes writing 3 sentences about things that make you {気|き}を{揉|も}む.

Review in 1 day, 3 days, 1 week, and 1 month.

Pronúncia

Stress Flat pitch accent.

Standard Japanese pronunciation.

Espectro de formalidade

Formal
{結果|けっか}について{気|き}を{揉|も}んでおります。

{結果|けっか}について{気|き}を{揉|も}んでおります。 (Professional/Personal)

Neutro
{結果|けっか}について{気|き}を{揉|も}んでいます。

{結果|けっか}について{気|き}を{揉|も}んでいます。 (Professional/Personal)

Informal
{結果|けっか}について{気|き}を{揉|も}んでる。

{結果|けっか}について{気|き}を{揉|も}んでる。 (Professional/Personal)

Gíria
マジで{結果|けっか}が{気|き}になる。

マジで{結果|けっか}が{気|き}になる。 (Professional/Personal)

Derived from the verb {揉|も}む (to knead/massage) and the noun {気|き} (spirit/mind). It reflects the ancient belief that emotional stress manifests as physical tension in the chest area.

Edo Period:

Curiosidade

It is one of the few idioms that describes a purely internal process using a physical verb.

Notas culturais

The concept of 'ki' is central to Japanese psychology. It is believed that your emotional state directly impacts your physical health.

“{気|き}を{揉|も}むと{体|からだ}に{悪|わる}いよ。”

Iniciadores de conversa

“

最近、何か{気|き}を{揉|も}んでいることはありますか？

Erros comuns

✗

{体|からだ}を{揉|も}む

✓

{気|き}を{揉|も}む

literal translation
Using 'body' instead of 'spirit/mind'. This sounds like you are giving someone a massage.

L1 Interference

0 1

In Other Languages

Spanish moderate

Comerse las uñas

Japanese is about the internal feeling; Spanish is about the external action.

French Very Similar

Se ronger les sangs

French is more visceral (blood), Japanese is more abstract (spirit).

German moderate

Sich den Kopf zerbrechen

German implies overthinking; Japanese implies anxious waiting.

Japanese N/A

{気|き}を{揉|も}む

N/A

Arabic Very Similar

يأكل نفسه من القلق

Arabic is more aggressive/intense.

Chinese moderate

心急如焚

Chinese is about heat; Japanese is about pressure.

Korean Very Similar

애를 태우다

Korean is about burning; Japanese is about kneading.

Portuguese moderate

Roer as unhas

Portuguese is about the habit; Japanese is about the state of mind.

Spotted in the Real World

🎬

(2020)

“そんなに{気|き}を{揉|も}まないで。”

A friend comforting another who is waiting for news.

Fácil de confundir

気を揉む vs {気|き}を{使|つか}う

Both use the word 'ki'.

{気|き}を{使|つか}う means to be considerate, while {気|き}を{揉|も}む means to be anxious.

Perguntas frequentes (1)

Yes, it's very common to use with friends.

usage contexts

Learning Path

Prerequisites

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